Hell's Smitten (Gordon Ramsay x Reader)

Chapter 92- The Thirteenth Dinner Service Part 1/3

Wednesday, July 17th, 2013

My fingers are sore and raw after we managed to get through the pistachios, which made churning the ice cream all the more difficult. Aside from small talk, there was a question about our dinner when Bella asked how it went. Abel responded with 'We all had a great time,' and not much else. A great time was the understatement of the century, but I merely smiled at him and got on with the punishment. Then came the prep work, which took even longer due to the fact I winced every time I touched anything with my fingertips. The pain finally starts to dull by the time that Tay and Red get back from their shopping trip with huge bags full of goodies.

"Honey, I'm home!" Taylor sings as she waltzes through the kitchen, bumping my hip with hers and grinning as she passes.

"Welcome back, ladies." I return the grin and continue peeling the lettuce heads for tonight's dinner service. Red ducks shyly through the kitchen, hauling bags nearly as big as she is.

It's OK that Tay took Red, honestly. I'm sure Gordon will provide me with any cooking supplies I'd ever want or need. I imagine his kitchen at home is incredible, I could spend all day in there cooking any sort of meal I could dream up. I'm glad Red got to spend time relaxing and having fun rather than having to use her already-burnt hand to toil away with manual labor.

"Would you like some help, Mary?" Abel asks, turning away from where he had been filleting a sea bass to wash his hands.

"No, thank you though." She bows her head and attempts to drag the bags along, wincing as the handles rub against her raw skin.

"Are you sure?" Abel frowns, drying his hands off on a towel.

"Well..." Red huffs. "I guess I could use some help. This bag is awfully heavy." She cringes as she places the larger of the two bags on the floor.

"It's no problem at all." Abel moves to the bag and lifts it, letting Red lead the way out of the kitchen.

"Thanks, Abel..."

"Of course," he responds softly, trailing behind her as she exits the kitchen and turns towards the stairs leading to the dorms. After a minute, Tay, Abel, and Red re-enter the kitchen and get to checking over their assigned stations. Today, I'm on the fish station, Abel is on meats with Bella, Tay is on garnish, and Red is on appetizers.

The door to Gordon's office closes, drawing my attention to the staircase. Gordon moves through the dining room and up to the front of the kitchens, smiling briefly at me.

I wonder if the producers have come across Pietro's piece in the tabloid. It has only been a day, so I try to comfort myself with the knowledge that the producers likely haven't seen it yet. I don't know what exactly Pietro said, but even if it doesn't directly name me, I have to be more careful.

Gordon's voice brings me from my thoughts before I can get too entrenched in the possibilities.

"Tonight will be the first dinner service you all have as black jacket chefs, and I expect to be blown away by your stellar performance, yeah? Are you all ready for tonight?" he asks, rubbing his hands together, his eyes darting to each of us.

"Yes, Chef!"

"Excellent, I'm excited to see how you all work as a team." He bounces on his toes. "Taylor, Mary, did you enjoy yourselves?"

The two girls nod, smiling at Ramsay. "Yes, thank you, Chef," Taylor responds.

"Not a problem, you earned it." He winks. "Dinner service will be starting in a moment. JP?" Gordon calls out into the dining room over his shoulder.